Most people are scared of buying a new boiler because they have a reputation for costing the earth. But it doesn’t have to be that way if you choose your boiler and how you get it installed shrewdly. In this guide, we will explain how you can do that and compare and contrast the different costs to help you get the best deal.
It is generally understood that a new boiler costs a lot of money. They are certainly not cheap but actually, if you do a bit of research you might be surprised at how reasonable many good boilers are.
But then there is the question of installation costs and at this point, things can get quite confusing. There are lots of options out there including national installers like Help-Link and British Gas, local engineers, and even online quote comparison websites like Heatable.
In this guide, we are going to explain all the options and help you navigate the different types of installers and choose the best and most cost-effective option for you.
In Brief:
Online installation increasingly seems the most affordable way to go and the prime player in that market is Heatable. They are able to take advantage of streamlined sales channel and volumes to offer high-quality boilers from manufacturers like Worcester Bosch and Viessmann at rock-bottom prices and they can get them installed quickly and affordably too.
To get a no-obligation quote from Heatable, just fill out their 90-second boiler survey. You won’t need to share any personal details and depending on your property, prices can start from as little as £1,770.
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How Much Is a New Boiler?
It is almost impossible to say with any degree of certainty how much a new boiler will cost. It depends on a huge number of different factors and the truth is that every property and every boiler is different.
But it is possible to give some ballpark figures and we have worked with a team of gas engineers to do exactly that and help you ascertain whether or not the quotes you are getting are competitive.
These figures are based on buying a new boiler in the 24kw-30kw range from a reputable boiler manufacturer and installed by a local heating engineer:
| Work required | Boiler Type | Estimated Cost |
| Replace boiler, using the existing location | Regular | £1,900 |
| Combination | £1,900 | |
| Replace boiler, moving to a new location | Regular | £2,350 |
| Combination | £2,300 | |
| Central heating system upgrade to a combination boiler (including removal of hot water tanks) | Regular | £2,850 |
| Back boiler | £3,200 | |
| Upgrade to a system boiler (retaining hot water tanks) | Back boiler | £2,700 |
| Upgrade to a combination boiler | Back boiler | £3,200 |
New Boiler Cost – Boiler Installation Comparison
The prices above are estimates of what you can expect to pay if you buy a new boiler yourself and get it installed by a local tradesperson.
But the gas engineers we work with were unanimous in saying that if you buy through a large national reseller, it is possible to save quite significant sums compared to these prices.
These national resellers can get a much better price from manufacturers and they will pass a proportion of that on to their customers. But there is a catch. These companies have high overheads and this can mean that their labour costs can be higher.
Below, we compare three well-known national boiler installation companies. Two of these companies operate primarily as traditional installers while the other, Heatable, is an online company.
1. Heatable: New Boiler Cost
British Gas doesn’t allow you to get an instant online quote but there are some companies out there that do. One such is Heatable and this company’s arrival has really shaken up the entire boiler replacement sector.
If you visit the Heatable website, you can get a fixed-price quote for a new boiler in around 90 seconds. This is something that few other companies can offer, and certainly none of the traditional national boiler installation companies.
Heatable buys boilers in bulk and has very low overheads. This allows it to pass on big savings to its customers.
We put their system to the test by looking for a simple boiler replacement deal for a three-bed flat. On their website, you are directed to their online form which will ask you a series of questions about your property and the type of boiler you need. You won’t have to give them any personal information until you decide to buy from them.
There were also questions such as the type of flue you have, where the flue is located and how close it is to windows and doors. Don’t worry, they help you to give them the right answers to these questions.
Once you have finished the form, you will get a series of quotes for different boilers. These included a quote of £1,770 for the Worcester Bosch 25I. This is a great boiler and ideal for a property like ours. Our gas engineer advisors concurred that the price offered by Heatable was as competitive as any they had seen.
Other options will include compact boilers, ideal for small properties, and more powerful boilers. These will cost a little more but the prices on offer are still hugely competitive.
So, why not try and get a no-obligation quote from Heatable today? It only takes a few minutes and it could save you a small fortune.
2. Help-Link: New Boiler Deals
Help-Link is another boiler replacement service that offers a similar type of service to British Gas.
Unlike British Gas, Help-Link does offer an online quotation service but is open about the fact that the prices suggested are not fixed and a site-visit might be needed before a final quote can be given.
We went through the Help-Link process in the same way that we did with Heatable using an example of a three-bed flat and keeping things simple by just looking for a simple boiler replacement.
It was not a very user-friendly system and we found it hard work at times, even with our sector knowledge. The end result was that the best quote was for more than £2,000 for an Ideal Logic 24kw boiler.
This is a decent boiler but generally speaking, Ideal boilers are not as good as Worcester Bosch. We also noted that this wasn’t an Ideal Logic Plus boiler. The plus range is one we rate highly but their lower-level models are less reliable and only come with a 2-year warranty.
They did offer the same Worcester Bosch boiler that Heatable came back with on their list too, but this was for well over £400 more than Heatable quoted. And remember, this price is not fixed so could rise even higher.
Our conclusion is that Help-Link, while an improvement on British Gas is still an expensive way to buy a boiler these days. Online installation sites are able to cut prices even lower and their user-friendly service makes them the best option around at the moment.
3. British Gas: New Boiler Cost
British Gas is the biggest and best-known boiler replacement company in the UK. They fit a huge number of boilers as well as being one of the big-six utility providers too.
If you have ever got in a quote for a new boiler, it is quite likely that British Gas was one of the companies you turned to. But it is very unlikely that they proved to be the cheapest quote.
Our research suggests that British Gas are actually one of the most expensive ways to buy a boiler. Even Help-Link, another national company that has a similar business model, claims to be able to save customers an average of £1,081 compared to using British Gas. More on them later.
If you choose to go for an online installation company like Heatable, you could expect to save even more. Looking online, we have found examples of people saving as much as £7,000 on a larger installation.
Amounts will vary depending on the size of the job, but we would say with some confidence that you could save a least £1,000 against a British Gas quote with Heatable and often a lot more.
This is based on a like-for-like quote. Quotes will vary of course and some will include upgraded controls, boiler filters and other freebies that others won’t. Be sure to factor this into your calculations.
Why is British Gas too expensive?
British Gas is a national company, with large overheads and big expenditure on things like advertising. Ultimately, the cost of all of this is passed on to their customers.
Small local gas engineers have no such costs and this is reflected in their prices. Neither do Heatable. This is why both will typically cost much less than British Gas.
Do You Really Need Boiler Replacement?
Before you rush out to buy a replacement boiler, we would advise you to consider if a repair would be a better and more cost-effective option for you. If the problem with your boiler is just a minor one or if it is still under warranty, it is quite possible that you could get the problem fixed and extend your boiler life considerably.
We would usually recommend you start exploring boiler replacements if your boiler is out of warranty, and there’s a repair bill of around £500 or more.
Boilers can be very expensive to fix and sometimes it will be cheaper to buy a new one than get an old one fixed. Recent studies have also shown that a new A-Rated boiler could save up to £305 per year on your energy bills, which is also something worth factoring in too.
New Boiler Installation FAQ
Which is the best boiler to buy in 2023?
This will depend on your property and your budget but there is no denying that some brands are far better than others.
Worcester Bosch is renowned for being one of the most reliable brands in the UK heating sector. They also offer exceptional customer service.
Their Greenstar range including the 25i and 30i combi boilers are some of the best boilers to buy in 2023 and if you asked us to choose, we would probably recommend a Worcester Bosch over other boiler manufacturers.
RELATED READING: Greenstar RI Boiler Range (Review)
Is British Gas boiler installation expensive?
The short answer to this question is yes. British Gas is a traditional gas installation company with high overheads and will usually be more expensive than both local heating engineers and online installation firms like Heatable.
An online firm will offer you the best prices because they have low overheads but can make the same bulk-purchasing savings that British Gas and traditional national installation companies do.
Of all the options on the market in the UK right now, British Gas would come pretty close to the bottom of our list for the best ways to get a new gas boiler installed.
How long should a home boiler last?
A typical household gas boiler should have a lifespan of between 10 and 15 years. But if you do start having problems with your boiler, it can ultimately cost less to get a new one installed before then than keep paying for repairs.
Boiler technology is improving all the time as well and they are becoming more energy efficient too, so a new boiler will always save you money on running costs too.
How much does it cost to replace a boiler in your home?
The costs for getting a new combi boiler installed into a residential property will tend to start in the region of £1,800 for a small budget boiler. This can rise to £2,500 and beyond for properties needing a large boiler, an appliance with a long 10-year warranty, and a higher-end boiler.
If short on quid, you may want to look at some great deals for boilers on finance, that we explained.
How long does it take to change a new boiler in your home?
It will usually take less than a day to install a new boiler if you are simply replacing one boiler with another in the same locations.
If you are upgrading other aspects of your system, changing the type of boiler you are using, or moving your boiler it could take 2 or 3 days, but it should never be much longer than that.
Getting a Boiler for Free
If you are a pensioner, you might be entitled to get a free boiler through the UK government’s ECO (Energy Company Obligation) scheme.
Conclusion
In this guide, we have outlined the main ways to assess how much a boiler installation and replacement will cost and why prices vary so much from one company to another.
Our strong recommendation is that you include an online installation company in your quotes. Companies like Heatable offer the most affordable and cost-effective prices available in the UK.
You can get a quote in less than two minutes by filling in their online form. The prices they offer are fixed-price quotes and if you choose to go with them, you could get your new boiler installed as quickly as the following day.
If you have any questions or comments about this guide, or if you would like to tell us your own experiences, please do leave your comments and feedback in the comment box below.